Harvard's David Liu on why publicly-funded research matters

David Liu, Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, explains how his research has led to new treatments for genetic diseases that previously had no effective cure. Liu pioneered base editing and prime editing tools, which can correct misspellings in DNA. All of his lab's discoveries are shared publicly, allowing other researchers to use new tools to treat patients. Public funding has Liu and fellow scientists to pursue research that improves the lives of Americans. Learn more about Liu's research and recent breakthroughs in the Harvard Gazette: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/06/science-that-gives-humans-more-say-over-their-destinies-crispr-baby-kj/